1975 Winston 500

1975 Winston 500

Race details[1]
Race 10 of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Date	May 4, 1975
Official name	Winston 500
Location	Alabama International Motor Speedway, Talladega, Alabama
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.660 mi (4.280 km)
Distance	188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km)
Weather	Warm with temperatures approaching 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds up to 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h)
Average speed	144.948 miles per hour (233.271 km/h)
Attendance	65,000[2]
Pole position
Driver	Buddy Baker	Bud Moore Engineering
Most laps led
Driver	Buddy Baker	Bud Moore Engineering
Laps	99
Winner
No. 15	Buddy Baker	Bud Moore Engineering
Television in the United States
Network	CBS
Announcers	Ken Squier

The 1975 Winston 500 was an automobile race at the Alabama International Motor Speedway held on May 4, 1975.

The tenth race of 30 in the 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National season, it started 50 cars and ran 500.1 miles. It was the sixth annual late-April/early May running at Talladega and the fifth under Winston cigarettes sponsorship. The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.

Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.^[3]

Summary

Tickets were available for this match prior to Christmas 1974 and were sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Since the Internet didn't exist in the mid-1970s, all tickets were delivered through regular mail services.^[4] The pole for the race was won by Buddy Baker, driving the 1975 Ford Torino of Bud Moore.^[2] His primary challengers were Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Richard Petty, Dick Brooks, Dave Marcis, and Darrell Waltrip. The race lead changed 51 times among 11 drivers and was slowed by five cautions for 45 laps. There were several accidents.

Donnie Allison blew his engine while leading Lap 12 and a two-car crash ensued; among those involved were Daytona 500 winner Benny Parsons. Later Marty Robbins was involved in a fiery crash with Ramo Stott and James Hylton. The worst accident happened to Richard Petty. On Lap 141 while leading his left-front wheel bearing caught fire. He pitted while his young brother-in-law Randy Owens was fitting a hose to a pressurized water tank; the tank exploded high into the air and landed several yards from Petty, killing Owens.^[2] Another unusual event that took place at this event was Darrell Waltrip finishing in the top five despite being put out of commission with engine problems on lap 182.

Baker crowded off a last-lap bid by Pearson for the win, his first since 1973 and the first for team owner Bud Moore since 1966.^[2] The winner of the race won $28,275 ($124,343.55 when adjusted for inflation) while the last-place driver walked away with a meager $905 ($3,979.87 when adjusted for inflation).^[5]

Top ten finishers

Pos[2]	Grid	No.	Driver	Manufacturer	Laps
1	1	15	Buddy Baker	Ford	188
2	4	21	David Pearson	Mercury	188
3	7	90	Dick Brooks	Ford	188
4	22	17	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet	182
5	24	14	Coo Coo Marlin	Chevrolet	182
6	15	95	Harry Jefferson	Ford	181
7	23	41	Grant Adcox	Chevrolet	181
8	38	37	Bruce Jacobi	Chevrolet	180
9	14	60	Joe Mihalic	Chevrolet	179
10	18	96	Richard Childress	Chevrolet	177

Standings after the race

Pos	Driver	Points[2]
1	Richard Petty	1598
2	Dave Marcis	1359
3	James Hylton	1301
4	Benny Parsons	1296
5	Darrell Waltrip	1279

References

1. Weather information for the 1975 Winston 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
2. Complete racing information at Racing Reference
3. "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
4. Winston 500 tickets ready at Google News Archives
5. Prize winners' information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet